In three short seasons, J.J. Watt has captured the city of Houston like few athletes before him. Two Pro Bowls, a few dozen sacks, and millions of dollars generated for charities have fortified his position.

The Texans' 2-14 season certainly had a detrimental effect on the popularity (and employment) of many, and I suppose it could have been seen as a heat check for the city's love affair with Watt.

Well, if you're looking for evidence that Watt's "heat" is still on, look no further than Saturday's first day ticket sales for his charity softball game at Constellation Field in Sugar Land.

The second annual J.J. Watt Charity Classic is slated for Friday, May 2, and benefits the Justin J. Watt Foundation, whose expressed mission is "to provide after-school opportunities for children in the community to become involved in athletics, so that they may learn the basic character traits of accountability, teamwork, leadership, work ethic and perseverance while in a safe and supervised environment with their peers."

In 2013, the inaugural J.J. Watt Charity Classic was a resounding success on every level. The event sold out, the stadium looked spectacular, the game was suspenseful (Team Defense came back from ten runs down to beat Team Offense in extra innings, 19-18.), and between ticket sales and silent auction items, Watt and his teammates raised $330,000 for his foundation. Hell, even the weather cooperated as rain held off until 15 minutes after the game ended, at which time a biblical-level monsoon hit.

Even Mother Nature loves J.J. Watt!

On Friday, Rich Lord and I (along with the General, John McClain) had Watt on our radio show to catch up on his offseason thus far, and promote Saturday's first day ticket sales for this year's event. (For the record, Watt has only spoken with Romeo Crennel over the phone, and is not overly concerned that Crennel will misuse him in his version of the 3-4 defense. So there's that.)